A German lottery winner says she tore up more than $500,000 in winnings and flushed the prize down the toilet to avoid paying nursing home bills for her late husband. The Mirror newspaper of Britain said Angela Maier of Essen, Germany, told a court she received a bill from the home that cared for her husband before his death shortly after she received her lottery winnings. Maier said she had drank five bottles of champagne before getting rid of the prize. The Mirror said Maier ultimately agreed to pay the home $5,471 in compensation.

Special ingredient

Putting the pot in potluck dinner?

A California elementary school teacher has been accused of bringing pot-laced food to an employee potluck dinner. After a six-week investigation, Teresa Gilmete Badger of Matthew Turner Elementary School in Benicia, Calif., was arrested on the felony charge of suspicion of willfully mingling a poison or harmful substance with food. Several people reported feeling ill after the potluck, and a 15-year-old also got sick from leftovers that one attendee brought home.

Dubious donations

Next time, send some kitty litter

Out-of-date condoms and a partial set of dentures are items that have recently been donated to a feline protection group in Sleaford, England. In a post on the Cats Protection Sleaford and District Facebook site, group representative Ruth Philp wrote: "We try and utilise as much of what is donated to us as possible — some items are automatically categorised, others are put to one side to be considered. And some, like the set of partial dentures, just make us wonder."

That's some souvenir

Here's a home for your 'Velociraptor'

Fans of the 1993 blockbuster Jurassic Park have the opportunity to own "one of the most amazing movie props ever" as the famous Velociraptor cage goes on sale on eBay. The crate, which appears in the opening scene of the Steven Spielberg film, is being auctioned by Theme Park Connection. Bids have reached nearly $100,000. The winner will also receive full-size replica Velociraptor that was used at the film's premiere. The auction, scheduled to end Feb. 4, can be seen at ebay.com/itm/390756055657.

To the rescue

Villagers look out for abandoned pig

A lonely pig abandoned in a field in Kent, England, for months has been enjoying some regular home comforts after local residents took pity on her. Villagers at Shorncliffe, near Folkestone, built a shelter for the female swine, whom they have named Porrick, and donate plenty of food so she can eat like a pig. "She's a real local attraction," said Trevor Boxell, whose son owns the land where Porrick grazes.